Suicide Squad Director Approves Of James Gunn For Sequel

Following a very public falling out with Marvel Studios, James Gunn has been brought on to write and potentially direct the Suicide Squad sequel for its comic-inspired rival, Warner Bros. and the DC cinematic universe. The director of the first Suicide Squad has come forward to praise the move, calling it gutsy of the studio and complimenting Gunn in the process.

“I think it’s an incredibly brave and smart move by the studio,” director David Ayer said on Twitter. “James is the right man for the job!” In response to some fans suggested he was being sarcastic, he signal-boosted a comment that argued he was being sincere.

Gunn had risen to blockbuster notoriety for his work on Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy films. In fact, comic fans noted the similarities to Suicide Squad as DC’s answer to it–a ragtag group of neer-do-wells and crooks who reluctantly save the day. He was at work on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 when Marvel Studios abruptly fired him due to a social media campaign against his old tweets.

The Guardians cast rallied behind Gunn with a letter of support, but Marvel and parent company Disney remained unmoved. Guardians 3 has been put on indefinite hold, and Disney has not given word on a new director or if it will use Gunn’s script.

Dave Bautista, who played Drax in the Guardians films, has been especially vocal about using Gunn’s script, threatening that he’d like to be released from his contract if Disney chooses to use a different one. With the news that Gunn is jumping to DC, Bautista indicated he was open to following the director to the new project.